Three-way safety auto signal



June 12., 1923.

,458,316 F. M. BALDWIN THREE-WAY SAFETY AUTO SIGNAL I 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed July 12 @4g orfze'y June l2, l923. l

F. M. BALDWIN THEE-WAY SAFETY AUTO SIGNAL Filed July l2. `1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 @WM M Patented dune 12, 1923.

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FREDERICK IVI. BALDWIN, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

THREE-WAY SAFETY AUTO SIGNAL.

Application led July 12,

M. `BALD- .wiN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Three-Way Safety Auto Signal, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to direction signaling devices for use onautomobiles and the like, by means of which the driver may indicate the direction about to be taken by the automobile. c

1t has been found desirable to indicate to other vehicles the direction that automobiles are about to take, it being particularly desirable that a following automobile should be able to knowy the direction to be taken by. the preceding automobile, and the principal objectA of my inventiony is to provide a signaling device of the class ldescribed of simple form and construction by means of which it may be indicated whether the vehicle is about to turn to the right, or left, 'or stop.

Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter' fromy the following specification and drawings.

Referring to the drawings which are for illustrative purposes only,

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a signaling device showing a convenient operating mechanism for such device.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of' the signaling device shown in Fig. 1 on a larger scale. y

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of the device shown in Fig. 2.

Fig; 4 is a diagrammatic view of the front end of' an automobile showing a device embodying my invention mounted thereon.

Fig. 5 is va view similar to Fig. 2 on a smaller scale, showing the hand in extended position.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, showing the operating mechanism in a different position, the' hand and'connecting parts being omitted, and

Fig. 7 is a yview of a modified form of the operating mechanism.

The device consists of a casing or concealing means indicated at 11, which may be secured in any suitable manner to the dash or frame of an lautomobile lin any convenient position, as shown in Fig. 4. This .casing 1l l1921. Serial No. 484,052.-

is open on the outer side, as indicated at 12, for v the purpose of permitting the signal member to freely work therethrough.

1n the form shown, the signal member, 1ndicated at 13. is made in the form of a hand, it being made of any suitable' material and provided on one side with a slotted cam indicated at 16, such cam being arranged to receive a pin 17 on an outer arm 18 of a lazy tongs 19, the other outer arm 20 of such tongs being pivotally connected by meansof a pin 21 tothe hand 15. This mannerv of connecting the hand to the lazy tongs causes the hand to move from a vertical position to a horizontal position on extension of the lazy tongs. The inner arms 22 and 23 of the lazy tongs are pivotally mounted on a shaft 24 mounted in the casing'll, the endsr of such arms being pivotally mounted or connected. to links 25 and 26, the other end of such links being pivotally connected by 'means of a pin 27.

The pin 27 is operated through the medium of a cam 30 which is fixed to a beveled gear 31 on the shaft 24, such cam 30 being provided with 'av slotk 32 which receives the pin and through the operation of the cam, transmits motionito the lazy tongs.

The pin 27 is directed in its movement by means of cam slots 35, 36 and 37 formed in a cam plate 38 mounted in the Casing 11. The cam slots 36 and 37 may be deemed branch slots of the slot 35. The entrance of the pin 27 to the slot 36 is controlled by means of a gate 39 pivotally mounted by means of a pin 40 to the plate 38, such gate having' a straight lower face 41 which forms ypart of the slot 35 when the gate is in closed position. The gate is elastically held in closed position by means of a gate spring 42 which presses the gate against a gate stop 43. The gate is arranged to be opened by means of the engagement of agate cam or lug 45 on the cam 30 with a gate pin'46 on the gate as will be more fully hereinafter described.

In some localities, the person driving the vehicle is required to extend his arm from the side of the car and indicate the direction the machine is about to take by the osition of such extendedr arm and hand. s indicated in Fig. 4, the upper dotted line position may be used for indicating that the automobile is about to make a left hand turn.

y the direction of th'erarrow indicated in Fig..

. gages thefzgate lpin 46 on ythe gate and a further movement of the cam 30 swings the gate aside towopenthe slot-86. yThe gate, 1

shown. This is done in the `form shown by. y

turning on the shaft 24, the cam 8O in either direction through the ine'diuni of a 'beveled gear which meshes with the gear 81, the gear 55,' being mounted onvthe 'shaft 56,- which, through the medium ofv a a universal joint 59, beveledgears k -witli v`on the'steering post`62under the steering wheel63-@-v Byturningthecam in either direction, the v irst'movement of thehand is in a straight direction outwardly 'from 'the casing due to the extension of the lazy tongs.A This is `due to the pin 27 being guided inthe horizontal slot 85'; If the automobileis making'a lei't v hand turn, this movement is all that is necessary vto produce the proper signal. How

fever,-assuniing .thatthe cam is 'turning in '"6, the gatecam or'lug 45 onvthe cam 30venbeing curved, as indicated at 65 v.and eX- tendingfinto. the pathV of the slot 35, the

f pin 27 is directed intothevslotBG, and,riding vupwardly therein, guides the direction of vextension of the lazy-'tongs bringing Vthe hand 'into the-position 'shownin Fig. 5.

It will be understood that a reverse turn ofthe operating lever will return the'hand to its original position. i

4Ii" itis desired to move lthei'hand in the position indicated in dotted lines at 50 in r Fig.' 4,- thecamSO is moved in the direction of the arrows shownin Fig. 2, which causes the pin 27 lto move'outwardly in the slot 35 and downy into the slot 37,l such downward movement in the slot 37 .causing the direction .ofthe extension of the lazy, tongs to be I inthe line indicated lin dotted lines at `50V in .Fi-g. 4. i f

'In the` formshown in Fig. 7, the inner ends of the links 25 and-26 are connected to v the shaft 24 and the outer ends of such links connectedto theginne'r ends ofthe lazy tongs.

Thefinnerparms 22.y vand-28 `ot the lazy tongs are ypivotally` connected' vby means of the pin 27 whichengages in the slot 35 arranged;

p on the outer sideiof the shaft l24.. v

end v71 engagingthelazy tongs..`

universal joint 57, is `connected to a shaft 58,

For the purpose of assisting the return movement of the lazy tongs when the pin 27 is in the upper end of the slot 361 mount a spring member 72 on the casing which is placed under tension by the pin 27 in its upward movement and which presses such pin downward onits return movement.

I claim as my invention:

1. ln a direction signaling device for automobiles, a casing, a lazy tongs pivotally mounted in said casing, a display member on the outer end oflsaid lazy tongs,va pair of links pivotally connected at one end to the `inner end' of 'said lazy tongs, la pin connecting the other end o'f'said links and means en.-

'gaging said pin arranged tooperate 'said an operating lever 61 arranged preferably Ilazy tongs, and means for controlling the di- 'recton of movement of said'pin whereby the angular vposition of theeXtended lazy tongs maybe varied, said controlling means consisting of4 a cam plate havingv a cam slot therein to receive saidpin, said/slot having'r branch slots,`and means c'ontrollingfth'e entry of said pinto one of said branch slots.

2./Ina direction signaling device for auto mobiles, a casing, a 'lazy tongs i pivotally mounted in said casing, a display member of" :consisting of al cam plate having a cam slot f therein to receive said pin, said slot `having l 'branch slots, and means controlling the entry of said' lpin to one of said branch slots,

said last named meansconsisting or a pivoted gate means for yieldingly holdingsaid gate over the lentranc'erto `said controlled branch slot, andf means for moving said gate clear of the opehin'gof saidbranch slot.,

3.A In a direction signaling device forautomobiles, a casing,l a shaft, a'lazy tongs pivotally mounted on said shaft. adisplayv` mein` lber on' the outer end of'said lazyv tongs, a

pair of linkszconnectedgat one end to the inner end of said lazy tongs, -a pin connect ,ing the other ends offsaid links together, a f

cam` member mounted' on said v`shaft arranged to engage said pin, and means yfor controlling .the direction of movement of said lpin. i

4 4. In combination, supporting-means containing three-way guiding-means, and a sig nailing-device mounted movablyin saidsupporting-means and guiding-means for extenf -Y sion 4therefrom in either of/three directions. For thepurpose of starting the lazy: tongs i in their outward movement I use a springy Vmember mounted on the casing havinglan f ,signaling-device mountedthereon. and havingY a part slidable in said guideway (for permitting of selectively extending said device three angles to the supporting-means, and at different angles to the supporting-means. releasable securing means for holding said 6. In combination, supporting-means, a device when extended at any of said angles. K0

collapsible extensible signaling-device mountln testimony whereof, I have hereunto set 5 ed thereon, a three-Way cam, said device havmy hand at Los Angeles, California, this 5th ing a part sliolable along said cam for selecday of July, 1921. tively extending said device at either of FREDERICK M. BALDWIN. 

